Inferno destroys 1400 cars

An estimated 1400 cars were destroyed in a huge fire that raged through a multi-storey parking garage in the northern English city of Liverpool.

AN ESTIMATED 1400 cars were destroyed in a huge fire that raged through a multistorey parking garage in the northern English city of Liverpool.

The fire next to Liverpool’s Echo Arena, the city’s premier entertainment venue, also threatened horses that were stabled in the garage for performances at the Liverpool International Horse Show.

The horses were moved to safety inside the arena.

The popular horse show was cancelled because of the fire, which was brought under control early Monday morning. The charred remains of ruined vehicles were visible in the seven storeys of the parking garage.

There were no reported injuries in the blaze.

Officials set up an emergency shelter to help the many people who could not get home because their cars had been burned.

Two dogs were rescued from vehicles parked in the structure. They are believed to have been the only animals inside cars at the time.

The Echo Arena said all people and horses were safe.

Witnesses said cars seemed to explode every couple of seconds when the fire was at its peak. They said the fire appeared to start in the engine of an older Land Rover and quickly spread.

Picture: MERSEYSIDE FIRE AND RESCUE UP IN SMOKE: Burnt-out vehicles at Liverpool Echo Arena carpark, in Liverpool, north-west England. A huge fire destroyed about 1400 vehicles in the carpark. There were no reported injuries in the blaze.